Truth, Dare and Death
by Erin Peepsta
Summary: Truth and dare:It can be a fun party game but it sometimes can lead to some outrageous extremes. When Brandy is dared, it will send her into a world where death is normal and war rages everywhere. The truth will be known but dare and death go hand in hand
1. Dare

Jamie smiles slyly at me, "Truth or dare, Brandy?" she asks, the rest of my group of friends listening intently. I look around then straight at Jamie with my auburn eyes. And so, yet another interesting game of truth or dare is at hand. Course; little did I know how out of hand this whole situation would get. With my friends, you can never tell what they're going to say next….but that's not what I'm getting at.

I run a hand through my short brown hair, "Fine, but if I choose dare, no dirty ones OK?" I plead, hating it when my friends came up with some sort of disgusting perverted dare.

Jamie rolls her green jaded eyes, her smile as wide as the Cheshire cat's, "Alright, so I guess that means you pick dare. I dare you to walk up to a group of senior's and ask for a ride home." She coos. I blink, furrowing my brow. It's the end of the day; most kids who don't drive have gone home. My friends, Jamie and Katie have club unique while me and Molly are here to have flute lessons with our band teacher. For Jamie to dare me to do this was below the belt. But I swallow my pride, accept this dare.

"Fine, and if someone offers me a ride?" I ask, wanting to get the full extent of the deal.

Katie jumps in, her short brown hair flying behind her, with, "You accept it of course! Think about it, it may get a little-" she starts, intending to go into detail.

"Oh! No way! I'm not going to accept a ride from a senior! And no way am I going to do what you're thinking!" I growl, folding my arms, "Screw it, I reject this dare."

Jamie grips my arm and looks at me, her eyes pleading, "Please, Brandy! You always back out of dares! Your no fun." She pouts.

Molly scowls, "If she doesn't want to do it, she doesn't have to!" retorts Molly. I grumble, because I hated Molly standing up for me.

"OK, if Molly goes with you would you feel better?" said Jamie, an irritated tone to her voice. Molly's mouth falls open, as she shoots Jamie an exasperated look.

Now it's my turn to smirk at her, "No, I think it should be you since you dared me." I reply, hugging her arm.

She blinks and pouts, "Oh, ya got me! Fine, I'll do it with you!" she sighs and we start down the hall way, leaving our other two friends behind.

Molly puts her hands on her hips, "Be careful you guys! Don't get in the car if the guys a creeper…" she calls after us, twirling a piece of her long blonde hair in her finger.

The both of us wave her off before disappearing around a corner. The walk to find a group of seniors is long and filled with random conversations. Eventually, we come across a group of senior guys. Jamie pushes me towards them, causing me to stumble. I compose myself, throwing her an irritated look before looking at the senior guys.

"Umm, I-I need a ride home." I ask in a small voice, playing with my thumbs. They exchange looks with each other before a muscular built one steps out. He's the school's star varsity linebacker, Marlon. I personally don't know him, but I've seen him on the field. He's pretty cute with his brown hair shaved closely to his head and his sweet brown eyes.

He smiles at me sweetly, "OK, hop in!" he said, leading me towards the parking lot. We pass Jamie and I look at her, seeing her mouth. 'He's hot!' I'm about to pull her along with but she disappears back down the hall. I gulp, not liking where this is going. He leads me to his car, it's a black lancer. I slowly climb into the shot gun seat as he takes his seat in the driver's seat. The car's pretty clean and what I find unusual is that the back seats are pulled down to make a floor.

I blink and look at him, "Um, may I ask as to why the seats in the back are down?" I ask hesitantly, hoping the answer if what my corrupted mind is thinking.

"Oh, I was uh, helping a friend move some stuff. Guess I just forgot to put them back up." He answers quickly, as he starts the car.

For reasons unknown to me, I'm drawn to investigate the back. I unbuckle myself and crawl back there. It's pretty clean except for a slim white box near the side of the wall. Crawling closer, it's then I realize it's an xbox 360. I raise an eyebrow, "Hey dude, what's with this xbox?" I question.

He looks at me through the rearview mirror. His face turns pale, "No-don't touch th-" he starts to warn but I accidentally brush against the power button. A burst of green light engulfs me, blinding me temporarily. I let out a scream but I'm cut short. Everything turns black as I feel myself fade away.

* * *

The car veers off course, ending up crashing head oh into a tree. The sound draws Jamie, Molly, Katie and one of Marlon's friends to the outside. "Oh my-Brandy!" Jamie screams. Marlon's friend, otherwise known as Cam, rushes over and helps Marlon out.

Blood trickles from Marlon's nose, as his friend looks at him seriously, "Dude, are you OK?" inquires Cam, Marlon's best friend.

Marlon nods, pressing her hand against his head as he grits his teeth at the pain. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine." He mutters, as he pinches the bridge of his nose to try and stop the bleeding.

Katie looks in the car as her face drops. She then looks over at the linebacker, "Where's Brandy?" she gulps.

Marlon reflects her looks of horror and then staggers over to the car. He looks around, his eyes eventually falling upon the slim white box of the xbox. "Oh God no…not again." He breathes, taking the xbox in his arm. The power button gleams green in the center and one fourth of the circle is lit up, signalling a controller is hooked up.

Jamie furrows her brow, "You're more worried about your stupid game console then our friend? You selfish-" she starts, her wavy blonde hair bouncing behind her.

"Your friend is in the xbox!" snaps Marlon back in defense.

Molly blinks, staring from the xbox to him, thinking he's deranged. "You have got to be kidding me…" she growls, believing he had taken one too many hits to the skull.

Cam shakes his head, "'fraid he isn't. That xbox is fricking insane! You touch the start button and zap! You're in the xbox!" he states seriously.

Katie places her hands on her hips, staring at the two football players un-amused. "Oh really, so can't we just turn off the console? If we're playing along…" she adds quickly.

Marlon holds the xbox away from her, shooting her a dark look. "You do that and your friend will be lost-forever." He remarks.

Jamie blinks, "Than what do we do?" she asks, finally giving in to this unbelievable story.

Marlon nods, "Well we need to connect this to a TV. From there we can explain to your friend what she has to do." He explains, grabbing a game controller from the back, "Come on we can hook up to a TV in school."

Katie stops him, her brown eyes looking at him with a hard look of indifference, "And you think they'll just let us do that?" she asks, down playing his plan.

A sly smile appears on Cam's face, "If you know where to hook it up. The class room in the fitness center has a TV we can use and the advisor doesn't really give a shit about what happens as long as you don't mess up the equipment." He reveals joyfully, he then starts off back to the school, "Let's go!"

Molly looks back at the car, "Um, shouldn't we call someone about that?" she questions, the car's damage being mostly a dent to the front bumper.

Marlon shakes his head as he cradles the xbox close to his chest, protecting it like the football on the field. "Oh please, it's not the bad. The air bags didn't go off." He answers back as they disappear into school

* * *

I groggily open my eyes and I'm greeted by blackness. No matter how long I stare, my eyes can't seem to adjust to the dark. Gulping, I hug myself, "Oh gawd…where am I? HELP, CAN ANYONE HEAR ME?" I scream into the darkness. My voice echoes, slowly dying away in the black abyss. I let out a shaky breath. _No…I-I'm dead! That has to be it! Oh what a world! _Out of nowhere, the lights are switches on, blinding me. When my eyes adjust, I see my friends staring back at me from a small square box. I blink, tilting my head to the side, "Holy crap! You guys are all in a box! What the hell? Did a mime freaking trap you or something?" I laugh.

But their faces remain in utter shock as Marlon and Cam join them in the box. "See, I told you I was telling the truth." States Marlon crossly.

Jamie walks up the screen, "Brandy…? We aren't in a box. You are, dear." She flusters, shock giving away to grief.

I blink then start forward, "Oh, very funny guys. I'll show you I'm not-" I start but I hit a glass wall and stumble back. I rub my face tenderly and look at the box. Slowly I walk back over and place my hand up on the wall. Sure enough, it's a glass wall and it's then I realize I'm not in Kansas anymore.


	2. Suspense

I gulp nervously as I stare out at my friends from inside of a box. "Guys…? What the hell is going on?" I ask shakily.

Cam frowns, folding his arms across his chest, "Well, I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you this. But your stuck in an Xbox." He states non-chalet.

I blink, "Um and how the hell did that happen?" I ask, only remembering a green light engulfing me.

Marlon scratches the back of his head. "Well, I got the Xbox from bed, bath and beyond. Because it had a 'so called' great 3-D graphics and you'll feel like you're actually in the game. What I didn't realize was they meant it literally." He confesses.

I stare at him blankly, unable to put into words just how pissed I am. Molly looks at him, "So you mean she's stuck in there?" she shrieks, ready to kill him despite her thin frame and usual calm nature.

Marlon jumps back, "Oh, hey! Chill! She can get out…by winning a video game." He tries reassuring her.

Jamie approaches him, a stone cold look on her face. "You have GOT to be kidding us! So basically she has to play through some stupid game to get out? What is this, the fricking twilight zone?" she snaps.

Cam smiles sheepishly, singing the theme song till Jamie gives him a dark look. I sigh, crossing my arms, "Jamie, chill. If I got to do that, then I have to. Now, what game am I playing? It's probably some easy old arcade game changed over to the Xbox format-" I start, walking over to the start box. But I stop short when I see the familiar figure of the cover of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. "Oh sweet Jesus…" I breathe. I had played COD before, stealing it from my brother-and I couldn't go through a level without getting killed at _least_ once. I look out at my friends, "Uh, Marlon? I have unlimited lives in the game, right?" I gulp, fearing his answer.

He scratches the back of his head, looking away from the screen. "Sorry, but you only have the life your mom gave you-and that's it." He breathes.

Jamie blinks and looks at me with concern heavy in her blue eyes. "Oh Brandy, I-I'm sorry. I feel like this is my entire fault. If I hadn't of dared you…you wouldn't be in this situation." She mumbles, walking up to the screen and placing a hand on it.

I place my hand on the other side of the glass to her hand. A weak smile plays on my lips, "Hey, it ain't your fault. Well, wish me luck and I'll see you on the other side, my friend." I answer. With that, I turn and walk towards the game square.

"Hey, Brandy. You have a head set. It's your only connection with us back here in the real world. We can help you if you get in a tough spot, ya know, talk you through it." Marlon informs me as he places his head set on.

I look at him, and then touch my head as I feel my own headset. My smile strengthens as I feel I'll still be connected with them. "Thanks." I reply. I turn back to the square. Pausing, I take a deep breath before I step into the unknown. A sudden rush of wind causes me to shut my eyes. I'm hit with an abrupt wave of heat, sound reaching my ears. My eyes open and I feel my heart skip a beat. So, if I'm not mistaken, S.S.D.D begins here. Standing on the opposite side of the table, is Foley. He's ranting to a group of soldiers about how to shoot. "…Your Private here will demonstrate. Private Allen, take that gun from the table and show them how a ranger takes down a target." Orders Foley, turning to look at me.

Shakily, I take the gun and turn around to the range. The sudden show of red targets alarms me, causing me to let of a sudden burst of gun fire. The target goes down but another pops up on the other side of the range. I let out a slow breath, calming myself before I pull the trigger. The target easily goes down. I smirk. _Thank you Tallahassee!_ [1]

Foley Blinks, furrowing his brow. "See, she's spraying bullets all over the damn place. Your luck if you hit the target. Now, aim down your sights. You have to hit your target from a stable stance." Foley states.

I unconsciously reload a new mag into the gun and crouch behind the wall. Aiming down my sights, I took down a target with one shot and aim accordingly to take down another. When I'm done, I stand up, feeling good with my work. "Good, now you can also pop in between targets. Show 'em, Private" Foley orders. I blink, the fact dawning on me that they've changed all the male pronouns to feminae. I shake my head and pop in and out of targets quickly. Foley goes on to explain hitting a target behind light cover and frag grenades. Personally, I liked the frag grenades. I grab some from the table. Pulling the pin, I toss it into the range. I watch as most of the targets fall from the blast.

I can't help but smile, "Heh, did you see that guys?" I mumble into my headset. I'm lost in awe that I don't hear Foley talking till he places a hand on my shoulder. I jump and look at him, my heart pounding loudly in my ears.

"At ease Private. Shepard wants to see you run the course in the pit. Get moving and-" Foley said, glancing back at the group of chatting soldiers before he smirks at me, "Good luck, Brandy."

I blink my mouth falling agape. "How did you know-oh never mind…Yes sir." I reply, quickly walking past him and towards the pit. _OK, Shepard's going to be watching me. Hm…I wonder what happens if I shoot him? _I enter down to the pit and Dunn sits on the table with a look of boredom in his face under his helmet.

He doesn't look up when I approach, obviously knowing it's me. "Grab a side arm from the table. Now don't forget, switching to your side arm is always faster than reloading. Good luck and smile for the camera. The best shooter gets to join Shepard's prima donna squad-" Dunn drawls on. But before he can continue, I've aimed my M4A1 and shot Shepard. I can't help but smile as Dunn stares at me with mouth a gape. "Y-you shot Shepard…" he stutters, not believing the words coming out of his mouth.

I look at him and smile sheepishly, "Finger slipped." I lie through my teeth. _You'll thank me later, trust me. _I wave him off, "Besides, that one screen will come up saying friendly fire will not be tolerated. Then we'll start over, blah, blah blah!" I chime lightly, smiling at him. Silence fills the void and my smile disappears from my face. I click the head set on, "Marlon…there's no 'friendly fire' screen and restart, is there…" I gulp, watching Dunn Stare at me in horror.

"Yeah, you kinda shot yourself in the foot, kid…" he states slowly.

"Oh, well….damn. Tch, at least I killed Shepard." I remark happily, wondering if this qualified as winning the game.

There's a pause at the other line, "Brandy, you do realize you've completely changed the game, right? Honestly, I don't know where you go from here." Admits Marlon. In the background, I hear Jamie screaming swears that are obviously aimed at the football lineman.

I gulp but force a smile to my face. "Well, that's good then! It just means this is a new adventure." I reply optimistically.

Dunn looks at me, shaking himself out of his daze. "I'm giving you a 10 second head start before I call it in. I suggest you take it." He informs me darkly.

I nod, smiling at him softly, "Thanks Dunn." I mutter quietly.

He nods back at me shortly, beaming at me. "Your welcome Brandy." He answers, grinning and winking at me. I blink; about to ask how he knows my name but decide not to waste my head start time on pointless conversations. I dash out of the pit, looking around for my way out. _Humvee? No, that's not going to get me anywhere-planes! I'll hijack a plane! _I run into camp, keeping myself hidden among the back of the tents. The sound of footsteps alerts me, causing me to drop down to a crouch behind a tent. I peer around, watching a squad run by.

"Did you hear? Someone shot Shepard! Rumor is he's dead." hisses a soldier as they continue on their way, as they past my location. I let out a held in breath, glad that they hadn't found me. Suddenly, I'm grabbed from behind. A hand is clamped over my mouth to muffle my scream. I'm dragged back into a tent and I black out.

* * *

Marlon looks at the screen intently, "Brandy, BRANDY! Are you OK...Dammit, answer!" he shouts into the radio headset he wears. No answer comes back over, the screen remaining black.

Molly places a hand over her mouth, staring at the screen in horror. "Oh God…s-she's dead." She gasps, on the verge of tears.

Jamie shakes her head, hands clenched in fists of rage. She lunges at Marlon, shaking him violently, despite her small frame. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! Damn you-y-you killed her!" she shrieks, hot tears running down her face.

Cam pulls her off and looks at her seriously, "Hey, look. This all was never supposed to happen…" he mumbles dismally, trying to calm her down.

Marlon blinks, looking at the Xbox. "She's not dead…" he mutters as he doesn't remove his eyes from the slim box.

Jamie blinks then looks at him, "What? But the screen-" she starts, not understanding.

Marlon shakes his head and looks at her smiling brightly. "The xbox still shows her as player 1. She's still alive! She probably just blacked out or something." He reassures them happily.

Jamie gives a squeal of happiness before hugging Cam around the neck. She realizes her action and blushes madly, releasing her grasp. She stares at the ground, embarrassed. "Heh, sorry…I-I got a little over zealous." She mumbles quickly.

A blush crosses Cam's face as he looks away, scratching the back of his head. "Oh, t-that's OK..." he mumbles. Though it's quite obvious that neither wanted the hug to end so soon.

Katie shakes her head solemnly, staring at the screen. "Hey, just because she's blacked out, doesn't mean she's out of danger yet…" she states seriously. They all nod in agreement, returning their attention back to the screen with worry.

* * *

[1] Zombieland reference, sorry. I just had to put it

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	3. The Truth To a Point

My eyes flutter open, as I feel groggy and slightly disorientated. A gun is suddenly cocked against my forehead and I tense up. When my eyes adjust, my heart skips a beat as my eyes see the identity of my captor. "Alright, who the hell are you?" he growls in the familiar British accent of Ghost.

I blink, gulping. "I-I'm a friendly…?" I reply in the form of a question.

His eyes narrow behind his red tinted sun glasses as he keeps his side arm trained on me, "You don't sound to sure of your self. How do I know you're not the one who shot Shepard?" he growls darkly at me.

I sigh, bringing my hands down from their surround position. "Because I AM the one who shot Shepard-but hear me out! He was planning something bead. He lost 30,000 men and wanted redemption for this fail. So, he'd plan to start a war with Russia to get it! In the process…you and roach are betrayed by him-and killed…to clear up loose ends." I explain nervously, my voice quivering at the last part. I remember almost crying when that happened in the game, I really liked Ghost. He was a cool guy. But right now, I don't really think he's all that 'cool' since he's kind of ready to kill me on the spot.

He remains unmoved but shifts uncomfortably. He glares at me. "How do you know Roach, or me for that matter." He asks cautiously.

I blink, suddenly realizing I didn't know how to answer that question. Sighing, I wish I hadn't of opened my big mouth. My headset crackles to life, causing me to jump slightly. "Erin, you're alive! You gave us a scare when you blacked out. Look, whatever you do…don't tell him he's not real. That really pisses them off." Marlon speaks through the headset warningly.

I nod, thanking him quietly. "OK…I know your not going to believe me, but I'm a psychic. A-and I foresaw this happening. So I had to kill Shepard to save the world 'cause that's my purpose." I blab randomly, improv lying on the spot. I look at him intently, waiting to see his reaction.

He blinks, slowly lowering his gun. "OK, I guess that makes sense. But you still shot Shepard and that qualifies as a war crime. They'll be looking for you, you know." He warns.

I sigh, nodding. "Yeah, I know. It's just, don't listen to the lies they'll say about me." I plead dejectedly. My worst fear in here is if everyone turned on me. He looks at me solemnly, nodding slightly. I pat him on the shoulder, walking past him. But I stop and look back at him. "Be safe Ghost…and wish me luck. For I fear things have just gotten worst." I breathe before I sigh and walk away.

He watches me leave, shaking his head dejectedly. "God speed, kid…" he mumbles in his British accent, silently wishing me luck.

Slipping out of the tent, I start off towards the location of the hanger. My eyes dart every which way, checking for patrols. I grasp my M4A1 close to me as I continue my jog. "Marlon, I think I know where I go from here." I mutter into my head set as I come to a stop. The safety of tent disappears, giving way to the tarmac. I drop to a crouch behind the last tent and stare out, trying to configure my next move.

"Really? Care to elaborate because I'm absolutely clueless…" he answers back flatly. I remain silently, ignoring the sarcasm in his voice. My mind finally comes to terms that this next leg would be an all out run-with no turning back. I know I'm going to be open on all sides for an attack, but this is the only way. Slapping a new mag into my gun, I ready myself. "Erin, what are you doing? You can't honestly be" he starts, growing alarm in his voice. But I don't let him. Instead, I show him what I'm doing. I dash toward the hanger, full out sprinting. So far no one is shooting at me, which is always a plus. Bullet whiz past my head and I give a yelp of surprise. Glancing over my shoulder, I see a couple soldiers running after me. _Well, looks like I spoke too soon..._ Not slowing, I turn around and run backwards as I shoot them out. They go prone, some for defense while others are down for the count. I can't help but let a smile slip onto my face. I turn back and sprint into the hanger. A couple planes sit there but the little bird helicopter catches my attention. But before I jump in, I pull wires out of the other air crafts to delay their chase of me. I jump into the heli and stare blankly at the controls for a long time as I try to figure out how to work this damn thing. Shrugging, I decide the only way to go about doing this is to randomly push buttons.

_Not red, NEVER red! It's just not done. _I push buttons till eventually the rotor blades start going. I take the stick and pull it back, the heli hovering above the ground. I smile, feeling overly happy that I had figured this complicated machine out. Looking up, my smile drops as a soldier runs up with an RPG. I pull up, waving off from the hanger just before he could fire it. I fly over the camp and keep heading north, the base in Afghanistan fading from my mind. Letting off a sigh of relief, I believe the threat is over. Out of no where though, bullets ricochet off the heli. I wince at the unexpected attack and quickly look around for the attacker. The enemy helicopter has entered firing range of me, and I swear under my breath as I look back at the controls. _There's got to be a fire button on here somewhere! _Another on slot of bullets strikes my heli and a warning light starts going off.

"Oh, I know I'm getting shot at you stupid light!" I scream, moving the heli out of the way of another set of bullets. I bite my lip in frustration as I scan the controls for an answer. _Crap, what do I do? Oh, where's the damn owners manual when you need it!  
_

* * *

Marlon and the others can only watch in horror as Brandy's helicopter fell under fire. Jaime grips Cam's hand tightly, too worried about her friend's safety to realize her action. Cam squeezes it back, consoling her wordlessly. Katie looks from Marlon to the screen, "The red button…she hasn't tried the red button!" she suddenly states.

He nods, turning back to the screen. He touches the headset, tapping into the conversation. "Brandy, hit the red button!" he orders, trying to sound calm though a hint of anxiety quivers in his voice.

* * *

Another bullet hits the heli as I hear Marlon's order in my headset. I wince, my eyes narrowing. "No, something bad always happens when you push the red button! It's like, Murphy's law or something-" I shot back, intending to continue into a spongebob reference.

"JUST DO IT!" Marlon snaps, cutting me off abruptly.

I cringe back, hating the feeling of being yelled at. Tears threaten to spill but I blink them back, anger swallowing my sadness. "FINE." I spat back, anger flaring in my voice as hot tears drown my eyes and spill down. I slam my hand down hard on the red button. A missile shoots out, going straight at first before it doubles back. I watch as it goes pass my heli and hits the attacking heli, destroying it on impact. A smile comes to my face as cheers come from my head set. But Marlon's words hit me again and my smile disappears in an instant. I continue my flight silently.

"Brandy, is something wrong?" Marlon ask over the radio, my friends still cheering in the back ground.

I narrow my eyes, rubbing the fallen tears from my eyes with the back of my hand. "No, no I'm just fine…I'M peachy." I answer back shortly. At this moment, he is the last person I want to talk to. I glare out the window darkly, wishing I could talk to one of my friends. They'd say something to make me feel better.

"It doesn't sound like it. Look, I'm sorry for yelling at you. I was worried the guy would have shot you down if you didn't push the button..." he said, in the form of an apology.

I sigh, scratching the back of my head. I stay silent, letting his apology sink in before I speak. After a while, I decide he means well and a smile crosses my lips. "Hey…it's OK, I understand." I reply, feeling 10 times better than I had before. In my current predicament, I could go on hating him. He's one of the only people who know what truly is going on here and I'd hate to cut ties with him just 'cause of how easily hurt I can be.

There's a pause, the cheering on the other line dying down. "Uh, Brandy? Where ARE you going, by that way?" Marlon questions, voicing what my friends are probably all thinking.

I smirk, feeling clever for thinking of this plan. "To stop another evil man-Makarov." I reply smartly, my eyes set on the border of Russia.


	4. AUTHOR'S NOTE

I am sorry to have to say this, but I am suspending this story. The reason being is my school semester is ending and I have to maintain a 3.0 to stay online and be able to drive. Plus, with all the stories are extreme undertaking and school doesn't help much.

In the future, I may pick this back up; may being an important word in that sentence. I'm sorry to those who really liked where this story was going.

Well, guess that's just another loose end.

~your fellow writer, Erin


End file.
